Photo courtesy of H.M. The Queen, Hobart on 23 March 2026 ©/Det Danske Kongehus
From the AustMS Secretary, Deborah Jackson.
It is with sadness that I inform you of the passing of Professor John Donaldson on 11 April aged 84.
John was a long-serving mathematician at the University of Tasmania specializing in numerical analysis.
He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1963 with a BSc (Hons). He then joined the Mathematics Department at UTAS in 1964 and subsequently completed a PhD under the supervision of Professor David Elliott. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Science at UTAS until his retirement in 2003.
John was the father of Denmark’s Australian-born Queen Mary.
He was AustMS Council member 1983–1985 and ANZIAM’s Treasurer 1980–1988 and 1997–2001.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.
Our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Kind Regards
Deborah
Queen Mary of Denmark said her heart was heavy after her father’s death.
Photo courtesy of H.M. Queen Mary of Denmark/Det Danske Kongehus
World News links
- The Royal Correspondent: Queen Mary of Denmark’s father, Professor John Dalgleish Donaldson, dies at 84.
- ABC: “Queen Mary of Denmark’s father dies in Tasmania aged 84”
- Pulse Tasmania (Sun 12 April, 2026): “Queen Mary’s father, Tasmanian professor John Donaldson, dies aged 84”
- 7News: “Queen Mary of Denmark’s father, John Dalgleish Donaldson, dies aged 84 in Tasmania”
- 2News: “John Donaldson, the father of Denmark’s Australian-born Queen Mary, dies at 84”
- Daily Mail: “Queen Mary’s father John Donaldson has died in Tasmania just three weeks after she made the trip from Denmark to Australia”
- Town&Country: “Queen Mary’s Father, John Donaldson, Has Died”
